Rom 9:4-5 They are Israelites, and to them belong the Adoption, the Glory, the Covenants, the giving of the Torah, the Temple service, and the Promises. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are theirs, and from them, as according to flesh came the Messiah of Israel. May Elohim, who rules over everything, be praised forever.
Question: Paul says "flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God". But you teach that the Kingdom of God is the land of Israel, and that 'flesh and blood' will inherit it. In this, are you not at variance with Paul?
Answer: Bodily Israelites will "inherit" the Kingdom (Eze 47:13-14; Dan 2:44).
Obviously, the Forerunner of the Resurrection (Rev 1:5; 1Cor 15:23), had a body of flesh (Luk 24:39; Zech 13:6; Act 1:11): Second John 1:7 reminds us: "many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel as coming again in the flesh (see Heb 10:37). This is a deceiver and the antichrist" (English Majority Text Version).
Paul is not using this phrase to describe a corporeal body. A Hebrew word for "flesh" is sh'er (Strong's #7607) and it means a relative. Paul is talking about succession and the supplantation of the firstborn son.
Let's get the context of Paul's statement about "flesh and blood" in First Corinthians chapter 15:
1Cor 15:22-23 For just like with Adam, all die, so also with the Messiah of Israel all will be made alive at the Resurrection. But each in his own order: the Messiah, the Firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, the People of the Messiah.
The word "order" in this verse is the Greek word "tagma". It means that which has been arranged, ranked or ordered, a series, or succession.
"Tagma" is the key to understanding the Fifteenth Chapter of Corinthians. As we read through this chapter we are shown events in temporal succession.
1Cor 15:24-28 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to YHVH, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. Because the Messiah must reign until the Father hath put all enemies under his feet (Psa 110:1-2). The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Therefore the Father hath put all things under the Messiah's feet. But when He saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that YHVH is excluded (who did put all things under the Messiah). And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto Him that put all things under him, that YHVH may be all in all.
1Cor 15:29 Else what shall they (notice, Paul does not say, "we") do which take a ritual bath for the dead, if the dead rise not at all (vs. 17-18)? why do they then take a ritual bath for them?
There are three things to consider when making sense of verse 29:
1. The Resurrection involves the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The dead cannot change their DNA.
2. All Israel will be resurrected whether or not there is a baptism.
3. Baptism is a ritual foreshadowing the Resurrection.
1Cor 15:35-44 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?" Foolish one! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow--you are not sowing the "future body", but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. But Elohim gives it a body as He wants, and to each of the seeds its own body. (Paul continues the "tagma" by recounting the days of Creation to convey his line of reasoning). Not all flesh is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies, but the splendor of the celestial bodies is different from that of the terrestrial ones. There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; for star differs from star in splendor. So it is with the resurrection of the corpse: Sown in the grave to decay, raised imperishable (sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power). It is sown a body that can decay; it is raised a body that does not decay. There is a body that is corruptible, and there is a body that is incorruptible.
1Cor 15:45 And so, to continue recounting successive events, it is written: the First Adam was created into a living soul (Gen 2:7) and the Last Adam into a revitalizing spirit. (Jewish tradition taught that the Last Adam would be the Messiah: "Adam; who is the Holy and Supreme, who rules over all, and gives spirit and life to all"; an excerpt from the Zohar, Exod. Fol. 59. 4).
Paul presents two eligible sons of YHVH for the throne of His Kingdom in Israel: the "First Adam" and Yeshua. Although Adam is the "firstborn", Yeshua is the promised heir.
1Cor 15:46 Howbeit not the First Adam is affecting spirit (when Paul uses the word "spirit" in context with the family, it refers to a son who was destined to supplant the firstborn. See Gal 4:21-31 in the chapter entitled "Under Law"), but is ignoble (used allegorically for someone who lost their inheritance, Rom 9:7-13; Gen 27:36); and the Last Adam affects spirit (is the Supplanter).
1Cor 15:47-49 For example, the first man (of the field) is the earthy (Esau, "a man of the field", Gen 25:27; Mal 1:3) and the second man is the heavenly (Jacob, "an upright man dwelling in tabernacles", Gen 25:27 & 23; 37:9-10. The phrase "is the Lord" is spurious). As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy (those like Esau, who are enemies of the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without YHVH, Eph 4:17-19) and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly (descendants of Jacob who are the chosen participants in the Commonwealth of Israel). And as we have borne the image of the earthy (exiled and assimilated into all the nations, Gen 36:8; Hos 8:8), we shall also bear the image of the heavenly (resurrected, repatriated, and un-assimilated, Eph 2:12-13,19; Rom 12:2).
In the verses above, Paul used a well known Hebraic axiom: the natural precedes the spiritual (promised) to illustrate the principle theme of this chapter, "tagma" (an arranged sequence of events).
In Paul's axiom, the natural heir precedes the promised heir (for example, the birth of Pharez and Zarah, Gen 38:25-30; 1Chr 2:3-5; Rut 4:12). And as he said in verse 37, the natural decaying body must precede the promised body that will not decay (Act 13:36-37).
1Cor 15:50 Now this I say, Brethren that flesh and blood (that which came first: Adam – see the definition of Adam below) is powerless to inherit the Kingdom of YHVH in Israel (see 1Cor 15:24-28 above), neither does perishability (that which came first: a seed, vs. 37) inherit imperishability (a 'future body', vs. 37-38), until it dies (vs. 36 -- however, there is an exception to the rule: see vs. 51).
The definition of the Hebrew word Adam is multi-layered. Adam is defined as a skin-tone color. The root is the Hebrew word dam, which means blood. Coalesced the name Adam connotes flesh and blood.
Those who are returned (vis-à-vis their resurrection) to the Land of Israel will have bodies of flesh (Job 19:25-26; Eze 37:8-14; Luk 24:39), and blood (Gen 9:4, Lev 17:14). Howbeit, these bodies will not decay. And because there is the Tree of Life, the Water of Life, and Leaves for Healing (Rev 22:1-2), some of these non-decaying bodies will also be immortal (1Cor 15:54; Phi 3:21; 1Tim 6:16; 2Tim 1:10).
However, not all of the non-decay-able will be immortal.
Joh 5:24-25 I assure you, anyone who hears my word (Deu 32:46-47) and believes on Him who sent me (has trusting faith in YHVH, 1Tim 4:10; Isa 45:21) has eternal life, that is to say will not come under judgment but has changed places from death to life. I assure you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead (both those who will come under judgment and those who will change places) will hear the voice of the Son of Elohim (Joh 11:41-44), and those who hear will live again.
2Cor 5:1-8 For we know that if our earthly house, this tabernacle (our decaying body) were dissolved (Gen 3:19), we have a building of Elohim, an house-eternal (a body that will not decay) of the 'Heavens', not made with hands. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is out of 'Heaven'; if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked (an inference to the those whose bones will never be clothed with skin, Eze 37:6; Isa 26:14; Jer 51:57; 1The 4:13. See Luk 20:34-36 below). For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened; not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life (immortality, 1Cor 15:54). Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is Elohim, who also hath given unto us the earnest, the spirit (Ecc 12:7; Zec 12:1; Job 32:8 & Psa 146:4). Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, while we are at home in this decaying body, we are absent from Adoneinu -- for we walk by faith, not having realized the kingdom (Act 1:3,6). We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be away from this body (leave this decaying body) and be at home near Adoneinu (that is, to exchange this decaying body for an incorruptible body when returned to the Kingdom of Israel, 2Tim 4:6-8).
In response to those who use Mat 22:30 to substantiate incorporeal-neutered-resurrected bodies: the Torah requires a man to have his genitals attached when entering the Congregation of YHVH (Deu 23:1). Yeshua's message in Mat 22:30 is about immortality, not about impotency. Luke's account says, "The children of this age marry and are given in marriage; but they which shall be counted worthy to obtain the age to come, and the resurrection from the dead (Dan 12:1-2), neither marry, nor are given in marriage; because, neither can they die any more; because they are like the angels (immortal); and are the Children of Elohim, being the Children of the Resurrection (Luk 20:34-36).